Some "New" Ideas

[Rossum]

If I bought a REO dna, I would have to factor in the stocking up of a couple spare boards. I am sure they will obsolete themselves after a while as the colors get brighter and the power begins to equal that of a small generator.

Indeed. I have a substantial stash of DNA30 & DNA40 boards from the days when I built some regulated squonkers myself, because I knew that sooner or later, those boards would fail and need to be replaced, but would probably be obsolete and unavailable (or banned by the FDA).

Thing is, when then they did fail, I decided it was more trouble than it was worth to replace the boards because I was just as happy with the vape I get from my mechs.

 

[RSZ1]

If you get 1 year out of a ~$300 mod your still ahead of the game, even if the board is no longer available or repairable.

People are ditching $1000 cell phones after 1 year. Household appliances that cost thousands no longer have parts available after the warranty runs out.

 

[Rossum]

If you get 1 year out of a ~$300 mod your still ahead of the game, even if the board is no longer available or repairable.

People are ditching $1000 cell phones after 1 year. Household appliances that cost thousands no longer have parts available after the warranty runs out.

Such dispose-and-buy-new when it breaks mentality offends my sensibilities.

FWIW, my phone (Moto XT1575) cost me $399 (unlocked), is over 2 years old now, and still works just fine.

 

[Sloth Tonight]

I'm goin' on a year with my regulated mod...good as new. Things have really changed. I'd wager to say it's just getting started

 

[Sloth Tonight]

If you get 1 year out of a ~$300 mod your still ahead of the game, even if the board is no longer available or repairable.

People are ditching $1000 cell phones after 1 year. Household appliances that cost thousands no longer have parts available after the warranty runs out.

My smartphone's 3 years old, good as new but I get what you're saying, it's a sad reality for a lot of new tech.

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

To me, it's just a question of value for money. I used to smoke $300/month worth of tobacco, so $3600/year. Do I think that buying a new regulated mod every year is too expensive? Not compared to my old nicotine economy.

I also think it's fine to make hay while the sun shines. Government regulation and/or technical obsolescence might make something unavailable in the future, but I'm not inclined to go without a quality mod I'd use every day any more than I am to avoid getting a smart phone or a laptop.

 

[RSZ1]

Such dispose-and-buy-new when it breaks mentality offends my sensibilities.

FWIW, my phone (Moto XT1575) cost me $399 (unlocked), is over 2 years old now, and still works just fine.

I agree with that. My phone is 2 years old, just changed the battery and plan on keeping it for another 2.

Had a Whirlpool front load washer that was about 7 years old and the hinge broke on the door. Scoured the internet for a replacement hinge and No Longer Available.

So lesson learned, don't spend top dollar on something that may be trash in as little as one year.

There are squonk mods out there for about $150 with a DNA75C, some American made, some Canadian made, cheaper if you get a Chinese one.

The original REO was both innovative and served a niche. A new REO with a DNA75C would be more nostalgic for me, more of a novelty. A $300+ new REO with a DNA75C won't be innovative, nor serve a niche. There are DNA75C squonkers right now on the market, ranging from about $120 to $500.

It's a tough call on Eric's part if the investment into a new mod would make sense from a business perspective.

 

[Vapefiend]

And I’m over here drawing up ideas lol

Please ignore my misspelled words. I was at work and kinda rushed this lol

 

[RSZ1]

View attachment 727099 And I’m over here drawing up ideas lol

So like this?

 

[Vapefiend]

Ihave no idea just trying to help bring the vision to life lol had a lot of spare time I have one more drawing I’ll post later

 

[Steve Parry]

Anything else I missed with this newer mod?

Yes. The DNA 250.

I know that's not what you're going for with this mod, but I think it should be what you are going for in this mod. I'm one of the old Reonauts that you're looking to get back into the game. I bought my first Reo in 2013. At the time I vaped .5 ohm builds on it. I own a total of 3 of them. Today, I vape my Reos only occasionally, and with a single coil .3 ohm build on a Cyclone. It is the weakest I vape any of my squonkers, and this is where the Reo has fallen back in the game in my opinion. It's not up to the task of today's vaping. Like the ProVape mods, it has fallen behind.

There is a plethora of low powered squonkers on the market right now. Remember, squonkers are for dripping and drippers want power. If I want to squonk at less than 80 watts, I can do it on my standard LP Grand. I rarely do, so I rarely use them. Here are the options that would get me back in the Reo game.

1. A dual 18650 mechanical Reo.
   
2. Want to really spice it up? Make a top and bottom insert that can be swapped out to switch the mod over from parallel to series mode as the user desires. Or, to make a few more bucks, offer parallel and series version of the same mod. Either way, lose the negative spring.
3. A DNA250 squonker. See the Lost Vape Halcyon for inspiration. I love the damn thing, but if you could find a way to get a bigger battery into the mod it would be a definite plus. Perhaps the shape of the 3 battery mods would do it.

Now, these ideas are probably not going to be very popular. This is precisely why you should pay attention to them if the idea is to bring back the Reonauts you have lost. Your product is great, one of the best on the market for those who want to do what it does. Those vapers who want to squonk at lower power levels are still here with you because of that. They won't like my suggestions because they are still happy with what you are offering. You're not going to bring the rest of us back with more low powered sub 100 watt devices. The second idea isn't even currently available out there that I know of, and many of us would pay Reo money to get back into the game for a mod like that.

 

[CMD-Ky]

I would not buy one of these but offering them to those who would seems like a good idea.

Yes. The DNA 250.

I know that's not what you're going for with this mod, but I think it should be what you are going for in this mod. I'm one of the old Reonauts that you're looking to get back into the game. I bought my first Reo in 2013. At the time I vaped .5 ohm builds on it. I own a total of 3 of them. Today, I vape my Reos only occasionally, and with a single coil .3 ohm build on a Cyclone. It is the weakest I vape any of my squonkers, and this is where the Reo has fallen back in the game in my opinion. It's not up to the task of today's vaping. Like the ProVape mods, it has fallen behind.

There is a plethora of low powered squonkers on the market right now. Remember, squonkers are for dripping and drippers want power. If I want to squonk at less than 80 watts, I can do it on my standard LP Grand. I rarely do, so I rarely use them. Here are the options that would get me back in the Reo game.

1. A dual 18650 mechanical Reo.
   
2. Want to really spice it up? Make a top and bottom insert that can be swapped out to switch the mod over from parallel to series mode as the user desires. Or, to make a few more bucks, offer parallel and series version of the same mod. Either way, lose the negative spring.
3. A DNA250 squonker. See the Lost Vape Halcyon for inspiration. I love the damn thing, but if you could find a way to get a bigger battery into the mod it would be a definite plus. Perhaps the shape of the 3 battery mods would do it.

Now, these ideas are probably not going to be very popular. This is precisely why you should pay attention to them if the idea is to bring back the Reonauts you have lost. Your product is great, one of the best on the market for those who want to do what it does. Those vapers who want to squonk at lower power levels are still here with you because of that. They won't like my suggestions because they are still happy with what you are offering. You're not going to bring the rest of us back with more low powered sub 100 watt devices. The second idea isn't even currently available out there that I know of, and many of us would pay Reo money to get back into the game for a mod like that.

 

[Robinowitz]

I would not buy one of these but offering them to those who would seems like a good idea.

Yes, perhaps it doesn’t have to be “either/or.” Perhaps an addition would make the Reo Family larger, therefore keep Reo in business and more happy customers. I would buy it just because it’s a Reo and that all I need to know.

 

[Joru'us C'baoth]

As a newer squonker/vaper, I'll offer my .02.
I love the look of the REO mods, and the durability has been attested to many times over...
That said there are a couple things that keep me away.
For the price of a REO, I can get a custom billet aluminum box, with the ability to hold the newer, longer lasting, more powerful batteries available, like the 20700, or 21700 series batteries. Not only that, but with a DNA chip or Yihi chip to boot...
It's tough to put my money up for tech that is over 3 years old, and lacking the power of cheaper, easily repaired similar mods I could buy 3 of.
I WANT to support a company that made squonking a thing, but I need to see some degree of advancement in the tech offered, or something that takes innovation in mech squonking to the next level...
As of yet, I haven't seen it.
Nor do I know what form a new mech squonker could take.
My suggestion would be to seek a new path, in addition to the old one. Try making a regulated squonker unlike any currently available. I don't think DNA chips are at all reasonably priced, but perhaps the patent on the FSK chip could be bought at a reasonable cost? I know I, for one, would buy such a device with a quickness. For an older, proven chip, it certainly has staying power, and the cost must be considerably less than buying from a third party, or even an OEM manufacturer...
But perhaps that's just a pipedream...
/my .02

 

[puffon]

For the price of a REO, I can get a custom billet aluminum box, with the ability to hold the newer, longer lasting, more powerful batteries available, like the 20700, or 21700 series batteries. Not only that, but with a DNA chip or Yihi chip to boot...

What mod is that?

 

[muzichead]

And just like that, with the 2 posts by @Steve Parry and @Joru'us C'baoth that alone should show that this will not be an easy undertaking for @Eric Parlin to take on... Sure, he can make a DNA Reo but with all the choices of boards or even other Mfg's of regulated boards, you will still have that crowd that won't buy it because it either has too much or too little, it has the wrong batteries, the device is not big enough, its too big, its too boxy, or something else!! Its all a crapshoot really.

Just look at the P67... That device didn't sell anywhere near what it should have. For all the people that wanted a Reo but didn't like the design of the Grand and wanted something different it still wasn't the answer. Either the device was too big, the firing button location was wrong, the squonk hole wasn't changed to the side to make it easier to squonk, or it was always something... That device should've just exploded the market but, IMO, it didn't. Bottom line is you can't please everyone and no one knew that better than Rob did and I'm sure that played heavily in him not going regulated but with all the variables available today its easier to screw it up than hit the nail on the head.

 

[Joru'us C'baoth]

What mod is that?

Nothing mass produced, doubtful the maker is anywhere near a household name, but his work is beautiful.
Manbearmods.
I'm sure he's not the only one, as many out there seem to build for small profit just to get there names out there. The market is positively oversaturated with mechs atm, and hundreds of people looking to break into that market as well, and willing to cut prices to do so. A lot of the "custom" Facebook group having, members only groups are gonna start feeling the hurt as well.
The market is changing, and the name of the game is offering unique and innovative, or low priced good values.
I don't really see any more unique and innovative places to go anymore...
So value trumps all with mech squonks.
The market ISN'T anywhere near saturated with values for regulated devices, as most are junk, with the exception of a few high end companies, like Rebel and Vicious Ant. Lost Vape is close, but still Chinese quality, so not the best, but as far as value, absolutely unmatched for what it is...

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

the power of cheaper, easily repaired similar mods I could buy 3 of.

Legit question: what mods would you put on this list? Cheaper, I get. Easily repaired, not so certain of (especially compared to REOs legendary support for parts and service).

 

[Steve Parry]

Sure, he can make a DNA Reo but with all the choices of boards or even other Mfg's of regulated boards, you will still have that crowd that won't buy it because it either has too much or too little, it has the wrong batteries, the device is not big enough, its too big, its too boxy, or something else!! Its all a crapshoot really.

From a regulated standpoint, it really is tough. I know some people won't buy it if it has too much, but they're more or less just being difficult. A DNA200 can be vaped at 12 watts as easily as a DNA75. That being said, the size of the mod will be an issue with some if you ran 2 batteries for a 167 watt DNA mod. I certainly wouldn't turn down the mod if it stopped at 167. My thing is I have 3 regulated squonkers, one is set at 90 watts, another at 100, and the 3rd at 125 watts. 75 just doesn't cut it for me. I'm not crazy about some of the other chips, but if it were a different reputable chip or even an OKL T20 setup would work for me.

For all the people that wanted a Reo but didn't like the design of the Grand and wanted something different it still wasn't the answer. Either the device was too big, the firing button location was wrong, the squonk hole wasn't changed to the side to make it easier to squonk, or it was always something... That device should've just exploded the market but, IMO, it didn't.

This is spot on, and that's what I was alluding to earlier. It was different, but not different enough to draw folks in or to get existing owners to pay for the upgrade. That's why I think he should really shake things up. My personal taste would be the dual battery mech, but whichever way he goes if he throws some power at us I'm in.

 

[Layzee Vaper]

Whatever Eric decides to do, he really needs to do something in terms of development. I bought my grand almost 3 years ago and only the P67 has been released since then. Getting more involved on the forum would also be productive. Most of the former members moved on when Rob shut the forum down, despite the efforts of a few that remained and a few that have returned this place still lacks energy. The basic issue is there is nothing new to talk about. Anyone that wanted a grand or a P67 has probably already got one.

Like it or not, price is also a big issue, especially if the only items on offer are yesterdays news. Asking a new vaper or somebody new to squonking to part with $150-200 on a single 18650 mech squonker is a big ask. For that kind of outlay you can buy a decent mod, with an up to date and well respected chip set. For well under $50 you have a choice of mech squonkers that offer similar or in some cases better performance.

Every month that goes by, Reosmods is being pushed further towards the sidelines, becoming less and less relevant. Non of the big reviewers are talking about Reo's, they hardly get a mention any more on the forum outside of this sub forum.

Eric must have invested a considerable sum when buying Reosmods, but I suspect that without some effort on his part, in terms of future development and involvement on ECF he will have wasted his money.

I have and still use my Reo every day, it does what I need it to do, but less people now vape in the way that I do, lower wattage single coil builds in a small atty. Reosmods needs to appeal to the larger market to continue running, that probably means more power, either with a regulated or dual battery device.